After Monday’s practice — the first since Bolland’s surgery in Vancouver to repair a severed ligament on the outside of his left ankle — the Leafs were stoic amid questions about the lineup with no games till Friday.

The first move to address the centre problem saw winger James van Riemsdyk shifting to the middle on the top line with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Nazem Kadri, who had found some spark as the first-line pivot after Bozak went down with a hamstring injury Oct. 25, centred David Clarkson and Mason Raymond in practice. Bozak, on long-term injured reserve, can’t return until at least Nov. 21.

Both Lupul and Raymond enter the top-six forward mix as a result, with plenty of past experience in those roles. The biggest question is van Riemsdyk’s ability to adjust. He didn’t sound concerned.

“I didn’t notice a difference that much,” he said after practice. “It didn’t change my approach. Whatever they need me to do, I’m happy to do and help this team win games.

“It’s a little different, I think a lot of it is about timing, and being in the right spots at the right time so you don’t lose your speed. But I’m just looking to play wherever they want me to — centre, wing, defence, I’m happy to do it.”

The Leafs have three more days to adjust before back-to-back games at home to New Jersey on Friday and in Boston Saturday.

If the losses start to mount, look for the 10-5 Leafs to crack down more defensively.

“We think it’s our opportunity now to get back to the basics you need to apply in games to have success,” coach Randy Carlyle said.

“When you have players like (Bolland and Bozak) go down, it puts stress on everyone. It puts stress on the players to make up the minutes those two players normally take up. But everyone deals with injuries, and we’re going through our share of them right now.”

Carlyle said he couldn’t even guess at a timeline for the return of Bolland, arguably the club’s most consistent player to date.

“It’s too early to say. (Doctors) don’t give you that right away, not until the healing process starts,” Carlyle said. “They can come at you and say five months and you hope it’s two months, but you don’t know until the healing process begins.”

Bozak, meanwhile, has yet to begin riding a stationary bike while recovering from his hamstring injury, Carlyle said.

Toronto has options on the AHL Marlies’ roster, including former Nashville Predator Jerred Smithson and Andrew Crescenzi, but there is no indication yet that they will go that route. (Wouldn’t Joe Colborne, traded to the Flames, look good about now.)

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